Ancient Egyptian Town Found Using Radar :

Radar imaging in Egypt's Nile Delta has unveiled the outlines of a buried city that was the stronghold of foreign occupiers some 3,500 years ago, Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities announced Monday.
Discovered by a team of Austrian archaeologists in Tell el-Daba in the northeastern Nile Delta, the ruins belong to the southern suburban quarters of Avaris, the capital of the Hyksos kings who formed Egypt's 15th dynasty.
Known as the “rulers of foreign countries” (probably of Asiatic roots), the Hyksos infiltrated Egypt and came to dominate the Nile valley for over a century during the Second Intermediate Period (1664-1569 B.C.).
From their strategic capital, Avaris, these foreign rulers are credited with introducing horse-drawn chariots into Egypt and controlling the lucrative trade routes with the Near East and the Mediterranean world.
Using a combination of geophysical survey and excavation techniques, the Austrian archaeologists led by Irene Forstner-Müller investigated approximately 2.6 square kilometers (1 square mile) of the ancient buried city.
The resulting computer-generated images showed a very detailed layout, complete with houses, streets, cemeteries and palaces.
The team has also identified temples where the Hyksos worshipped the god Seth, a possible harbor area and a series of pits of different sizes whose function has not yet been determined.
“Using special scientific survey to locate such a city is the only way to gain a better understanding of such a large area at one time,” Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said in a statement.
Avaris was then captured by King Ahmose I (ruled about 1570-1546 B.C.), who ended the Hyksos rule and founded the glorious 18th dynasty, which included pharaohs such as Hatshepsut, Amenhotep III, Akhenaten and Tutankhamun.
Picture: Color satellite image with radar imaging in monochrome showing the outlines of streets, houses and temples buried under the modern town of Tel al-Dabaa. Courtesy of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).

Wandering Through Chaos: A Brief Look At The Hectic, Eccentric Side Of Egypt

It goes without saying really, that the array of images that come to one’s mind when the topic of Egypt is introduced in any conversation, regardless of context, begin with the dazzling burial mask of Tutankhamun and the pyramids; followed closely by the Sphinx, the cliffs that engulf the Valley of the Kings and the sun-drenched columns of Karnak.

Like the golden arches are to McDonald’s or the red and white logo is to Coca Cola, the pharaohs and their lavish lifestyle riddled with gold are to Egypt. It is this immediacy of an association of a sense of eternal magnificence, opulence and extravagance that contemporary culture has with Ancient Egypt and its pharaonic culture, once you’ve thrown in a camel or twenty and a few thousand stray but tamed cats that is, your desire to visit Egypt is justified. I understand.

Oddly enough, the eerie silence and grandeur of the monuments and the overwhelming sense of ancient Pharaonic omnipotence they bestow will more than certainly be overshadowed by the cultural and social interactions you will undeniably face. Your time in Egypt will present you with a myriad of all kinds of delightful, hilarious, hair-raising realities. The fact that McDonald’s has home delivery by way of a motorised scooter and that the population of Cairo alone in itself surpasses the entire population of Australia, suggestively makes for a wonderfully chaotic adventure.

The safest roads you will ever come across…

…are not in Egypt! The first thing you may note upon your arrival in Cairo is that there are no road rules, no lane divisions, no warning signs and an apparent lack of any need whatsoever for your driver to indicate his intentions; in fact, any if not all decisions made by your driver will be gestured by a toot of the horn rather than indicating; do not be alarmed if no indication whatsoever is made, acting on impulse whilst behind the wheel of a car is seemingly the way forward on an Egyptian road. Thus you will find yourself at times one of 10 people crammed into a taxi that seats 4, often 7 cars abreast in what seems a 3-lane road and if you have an accident, an “oh well keep driving” policy applies.

For your own safety as a wandering pedestrian, happily lost amongst the steamy haze of exhaust fumes, simmering spices from the markets, the busy buzz of horns and chants from the rooftops of the minarets, keep a lookout for women sitting on the back of motorbikes ducking in and out of traffic and or hopping up the pavement, the women grasping the driver with one hand, their child in the other; take time also to appreciate the men sprinting up the middle of the road, briefcase in hand in an attempt to catch the bus which oddly enough, rarely stops to pick passengers up.

If you find yourself still breathing (oh how you will hold your breath!) or with your bottom lip intact and not bleeding upon your arrival at your hotel as the taxi more-than-likely mounts the pavement and clatters to a halt, nothing need more be said but congratulations and welcome to the land of the pharaohs!

To the ladies:

Girls! Be on the lookout too for local children, particularly within the Aswan night market – a veritable social hub and source of pride for Egyptian locals and thus definitely worth a visit; lovely, adorable, innocent-looking children. Warning: they have been known to be so brazen as to not only give you a cheeky pinch on the derrière, but punch your male travel companion (an essential tool when in Egypt) where it hurts in the hope that his arm that was protectively wrapped around your shoulders, will drop in agony to care for himself, allowing said children the chance to swarm around you, latch on and run like the wind with you helplessly in tow.

Fear not, at the end of the day they are children…your manly man will catch up and save the day. Note: make sure your travel companion is fit and able to barter with children for your freedom! My advice: once the kidnap attempt is quelled, buy them a toy from the local toy store; they’ll disappear happily into the night …without you.

As a woman you will by way of what you wear and where you wear it, be made perhaps more aware of the cultural differences within Egypt itself. In and around the major cities, Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, normal summery attire is to an extent, accepted as you will find yourself a foreign wanderer amongst millions of foreign wanderes. In the more remote regions however, do please cover up; not only as a mark of respect for Egyptian culture and way of life, but to also save yourself from constantly being an object worth trading 50,000 camels for!

Bakshish?

NOTHING is free in Egypt. Consider bakshish (a tip) to be demanded of you at least 100 times a day, be it in the form of cash, a kiss or a look up and down accompanied by a suggestive wink. Learn to say no. Learn to run.

Example: “Oh lovely lady, this camel ride at the foot of the pyramids, for you…free!” Yes, fear not, the local ‘tour guides’ are not lying. It is free… to get on the camel. To get off the camel however, prepare to whip out a wad of Egyptian pounds..

Big Pyramid…little camel…get on if you dare!

Example: Police official guarding the roped off, more secluded side of the Great Pyramid at Giza, Cairo: “Shakira! Shakira! (indeed… if you have blonde hair and a fair complexion as I do, there is no need for confusion. It is in fact you they will be talking to!) Would you like a photo ON the pyramid?” This is asked in all sincerity and is accompanied by a gleaming white, endearing smile as the policeman lowers the rope without waiting to be granted permission and casually takes your camera from your tight grasp. He will then hoist you onto the lorry-sized ancient building block. Fear not, he will return your camera.

Note: You are actually able to legally and at your will, traverse the first three levels of the front face of the Great Pyramid, albeit along with one trillion gazillion ‘bazillion’ other tourists. The temptation to accept the offer of the kind policeman is overwhelming and the photo-finish of you, just you, alone, on what is perhaps the most wonderful monument in the world, is truly and utterly priceless. The only hitch, if you accept the policeman’s offer to scale the pyramid on your own, unless you run at high speeds upon your decent fortunately without chase, you will have to pay bakshish!

The Egyptians as Hosts:

I don’t think I have ever come across such a welcoming, hospitable, friendly group of people as the Egyptian locals. All are willing to welcome you into their home, show you around their town or city, feed you, clothe you, take a photo for you, be in a photo with you and some even offer to drive you from A to B; regardless of where ‘A’ and ‘B’ may be. Declining their hospitality or any delicacy they may offer you can be considered offensive, as the Egyptians find a great deal of happiness in your willingness to join them in all that they do whilst in their country.

If you find yourself sailing down the Nile on a felucca or wandering by way of camelback in Dahab, do stop at a wee Bedouin village should you see one; more often than not the residents therein have little been exposed to westerners and the experience of watching the children mimic anything and everything you do is a moment you will never forget. If you plan to do this, maybe have a collection of lollipops, bracelets or something equally as enthralling to hand out to the kids; again, seeing the pleasure in their faces, despite their inability to understand what you say as you hand them a little gift and allow them to take you by the hand and show you around is a moment priceless in itself.

Egypt: A chaotic wonderland.

Egypt is thus not worth visiting simply for its infamous monuments, tombs and mummy collection; it is an enchanting world you should totally immerse yourself in. Why not buy a Galabiya – a traditional Egyptian smock – and wander the streets, meet people, try the food, allowing the echoes of the chants that resonate from the peaks of the minarets evoke goosebumps all over your body, smell the smells, feel the sticky warmth engulf your body and truly feel at home. Everything and everyone in Egypt has a charming innocence about it/them. The best way to truly appreciate a place is to walk or bike-ride through its streets and become an invisible observer of its daily hectic existence. So go on, visit this ancient city, a land of seemingly limitless tracts of arid desert bordering a narrow ribbon of fertile, overpopulated, enchanting and unforgettable land; the land of the pharaohs, Egypt.

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Egypt’s traffic up 35% in three years; local start-ups attacking Egyptair monopoly

Coping with the growth: Cairo International Airport, which is operated by Fraport, saw the commercial opening of its state of the art third terminal in April last year. The shiny terminal, which alone has a capacity for 11 million annual passengers – or 75% of the airport’s total traffic – houses the national carrier Egyptair and its Star Alliance partners, and still leaves room for growth.

Data has been released showing that passenger numbers increased by an entire 39% in the two years from 2006 to 2008. The growth has been somewhat higher at Egypt’s other airports than Cairo during this period. In 2009, the global financial turmoil showed in a total decline of nearly 3% against the previous year, in spite of Cairo traffic growing slightly. Still, the market has grown considerably during the latter half of the last decade and the 2009 total is 35% higher than that of 2006.

Source: EHCAAN

A total of 12 Egyptian airports (with more than 5,000 annual passengers) offer international services. Only half of them – Cairo, Sharm El-Sheikh, Hurghada, Luxor, Alexandria (El Nouzha) and Marsa Alam – do, however, offer more than ten daily international flights.

The Mediterranean city of Alexandria is currently served by two airports, the old El Nouzha Airport (ALY) and Borg El Arab Airport (HBE), previously a military airport that is undergoing major renovations. Later this year, El Nouzha will be closed for commercial traffic and all airlines serving Alexandria will be concentrated to the new Borg El Arab.

Source: EHCAAN

The top three airports in Egypt dominate the country market, with 82% of traffic. Domestic services make up 19% of the airports’ traffic, leaving the majority for international services.

Source: EHCAAN

The seasonality profiles for airports in Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada closely follow each other, with multiple peaks in April, August and October/November caused by the two resorts’ ability to attract tourists to its year-round warm climate.

Both airports are still dominated by charter traffic. The shares of passengers arriving on scheduled services only amounted to 7% and 18% respectively in 2009. These numbers are, however, four times as high as they were three years ago. Examples of new scheduled carriers are the two European LCCs easyJet and Norwegian, which both began serving Egypt in 2008.

Saudi biggest country market; 747s bring Russian tourists to Egypt’s resorts

Source: OAG Schedules iNET for w/c 22 February 2010

The largest international market for scheduled traffic to Egypt is from Saudi Arabia. As shown in anna.aero’s recent analysis of the Saudi market, Egypt is also the largest market for the neighbour country on the Arabian Peninsula. The market to the former colonial power, the United Kingdom, ranks second from the Egyptian side. anna.aero recently reported this country pair as one of Britain’s fastest growing.

Notably, Egypt is served from Russia with larger aircraft than other country markets, resulting in a gap between the frequency and capacity shares. The average aircraft size is 320 seats for this week’s traffic, in part caused by 747s being operated on 23 flights into Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh.

Egyptair still dominates, but local rivals slowly emerging

Source: OAG Schedules iNET for w/c 22 February 2010

At 52% of the Egyptian market, the state-owned airline Egyptair, which anna.aero analysed in July 2008, still dominates. It has long been the only Egyptian airline to operate scheduled flights. Liberalisation is, however, slowly being introduced to the market.

Last year saw the launch of AlMasria Airlines, which now operates domestic flights as well as to Kuwait and Libya with its two A320s. This year, the establishment of Egyptian scheduled airlines continues with two announced start-ups. Nile Air will commence operations to regional, Middle Eastern destinations with two A320s. From 2012, its nine ordered A321s will start being delivered, allowing for a rapid expansion.

Sharjah-based LCC Air Arabia is also in the process of setting up a low-cost airline in Egypt, a local joint-venture similar to its Moroccan enterprise Air Arabia Maroc. The airline Air Arabia Egypt is expected to launch in April this year, establishing a base in Alexandria, from where it will serve domestic and international destinations.

Sin city of the Middle East 2009

Lebanon has seen it all: a bloody 1975-1990 civil war, military occupation, high-profile assassinations, and unending political instability. But today, Beirut is earning a reputation as the sin city of the Middle East.


“From nudist beach parties and wild bashes hosted by the likes of Paris Hilton, to gay clubs, gambling and showgirls,” the city is attracting all types, says the Sydney Morning Herald.


A record one million-plus tourists visited Lebanon last month alone, according to the tourism ministry, which is expecting more than two million tourists by the end of 2009, a figure roughly equivalent to half the country's population.


“Clubbers don't bat an eye in popping $1000 for a bottle of champagne to guarantee attention at a trendy nightspot, where less is more as far as women's wear is concerned, and fireworks displays regularly light up the skies,” says the newspaper.


Prices for a bottle of champagne at some clubs run from $200 (USD$243) to a staggering $15,000 (USD$18,250), but regulars at places like Palais Crystal -- modelled after the famed Palais Club in Cannes – told the newspaper it is worth it.

Uncompetitive Moroccan Travel Industry

For millions of people, the months of April through June are travel planning period. In particular for the diasporas that is looking to go back home to North Africa during the summer season, but also for foreign tourists as well. This latter category is a critical target for the Moroccan tourism industry, which is apparently finding difficulties offering competitive prices in a highly budget-sensitive period.
Every indicators that I saw, from all-inclusive packages, to basic airfares, indicate that Morocco tends to price much higher than its competitors. At the very basic level, a flight from New York to Casablanca August 1 to August 8 fetches lower prices with Delta Airlines ($1,263 nonstop, $1,200 one stop), Northwest Airlines at $1,226 with one stop, and then Royal Air Maroc starting $1,271. It is clear that the Delta’s direct nonstop uses code share with RAM, so it comes to me as a surprise that RAM’s has higher than everyone else.

As we are looking to bring a reporter from Algiers to New York for the month of May, the prices we found ranged from the low of $950 with Lufthansa via Frankfurt and a massive $2,000 with Royal Air Maroc via Casablanca, the most expansive option. In tight money periods, you can conclude who won the business!

One would argue that the US destination should come at premium for the Moroccan carrier, and may be forgiven for having slightly higher prices. But Royal Air Maroc pricing discrepancy is valid across all its destinations and not just North America. August 1 to 10 round-trip from Paris to Casablanca is priced today by Royal Air Maroc at $698. Air France charges $437, a $261 difference, which is very substantial for millions of immigrants. This could be opportunities potentially lost for the Moroccan carrier at a time when the country needs every dollar it can generate.

Airfares are not the only data points that make me think Morocco remains a highly expensive destination as a whole. An October 2008 issue of Budget Travel magazine featured a “40 Best Deals” article, which listed some of the best priced vacation packages. In glancing through the list of destinations, I was excited to see that Morocco was prominently displayed. But my excitement faded away very quickly when looking the details. Deals ranged from a low Cancun, Mexico 3-nights, all-inclusive at $388, to an average priced six-night in Rio de Janeiro at $1,299, to the most expansive 15-night India tour, with flight, lodging and meals at $4,095. The stunning feature on Morocco is that the destination competed with the highest cost India, with Morocco’s 13 day tour costing $4,070, but excludes “fuel surcharge” estimated at $285. So in essence, of the 40 deals picked by Budget Travel magazine, Morocco was the most expansive at $4,355.
Morocco is not on the other side of the world and with its infrastructure, it is astonishing that it still cannot find the right price points to stimulate its tourism industry, at a time when travelers globally are looking for best deals. I expect when Marrakesh, Fes and other key Moroccan destinations release their tourism data, they will realize that Tunisia, Greece, Egypt and other destinations have won the price war.